9 Ways Promotional Items Boost Your Business's Events
A trade show is a blessing and a curse. They're opportunities to make countless contacts with potential customers, vendors, and collaborators in a short amount of time. But if you don't handle them right, they can be an enormous waste of resources.
So how do you maximize your ROI at your next event? Two words: promotional items. But you can't just slap your logo on any random product and call it a day. The right branded products can benefit your business in many ways and here are just a few:
Ways Promotional Items Can Make Your Next Event More Successful
You might already know that branded products have a low cost per impression - just 0.7 cents per impression according to the Advertising Specialty Institute. But how much value do you get from that investment? It comes in many forms:
#1 - Building Brand Exposure
Every marketer out there has a theory about the number of exposures a customer needs to have before they're moved to action. Whatever that magical number is, the exposures add up every time a customer uses your product.
Everyone likes to get freebies. It makes your customers feel appreciated, which is great at a trade show when they're feeling bombarded with sales pitches.
It's a little subtle, but by giving customers a small gift, you boost their opinion of you (consciously or subconsciously) which can lead to more sales.
#3 - Setting You Apart
Everyone who's ever been to a trade show knows the mountain of papers every attendee walks away with at the end of the week. If there are a conservative 50 exhibitors and each one hands out four or five pieces of literature, that adds up to one giant mound that gets thrown into the trash.
Promotional items, on the other hand, stand out... literally. They're less likely to get tossed into the trash, especially if they're useful. According to the Promotional Products Association International, 81% of customers keep branded products for over a year.
#4 - Appealing to Special Interests
One of the fastest ways to gain your potential customers' favor is to show them that you understand them. People want to buy from companies who "get them," and specialized promotional items can do the trick.
Creative branded products like electric coffee makers, mini speakers, and screen cleaners can appeal to a common interest among your clientele. Think about your business and your potential customers, and contemplate what makes them unique.
#5 - Creating Secondhand Exposure
If you're handing out promotional items that people will actually use, the exposure will go far beyond the people who receive them.
For instance, promotional apparel the customer wears, creates brand exposure to every person who comes into contact with them.
Here's a tip: if your apparel design has an intriguing design, people will ask about it. Suddenly your customer is turned into a walking billboard.
This "secondhand" exposure applies to much more than just apparel, but it's yet another reason to choose branded products that are genuinely useful instead of just novelties.
#6 - Placing Subtle Reminders
Part of the strategy in advertising is simply being in the right place at the right time. Ever started feeling hungry, then saw an ad for a burger place and instantly knew what you were having for dinner? That same principle can apply to most industries.
When you hand out branded products, they'll serve as subtle reminders every time your customer uses them. The next time they pick up your pen and remember they need to buy a new couch or hire a roofer, guess who they'll call?
#7 - Bringing Customers to Your Booth
If you're at a trade show collecting pile after pile of brochures and you hear one of the exhibitors is handing out tote bags, where are you heading next?
Customers aren't above making a special stop for some interesting, unique, or useful swag. And in the middle of a crowded trade show, you need all the help you can get to bring customers to your booth.
As an added bonus, this can help your booth stay busy during the later hours of the show when the crowd lightens up. Attendees who visited you earlier will be walking around with your promotional items, intentionally or unintentionally spreading the word.
#8 - Starting Conversations
Once that traffic comes into your booth, the right branded handouts can be perfect conversation-starters. Consider an item that takes a little explanation or has a story behind it.
Another trick is to use these branded items to publicize a new service or product. Customers will see the new name or logo and they'll instinctively ask. And as anyone who's manned a trade show booth knows, a customer who's asking you the questions instead of you spouting off a lecture is a welcome change.
#9 - Making Giveaways and Gifts Work for You
For any business, there are occasions when you want to give away a nice gift. It could be a "thank you" to existing clients. It might be chocolate for an organization or a charity.
Regardless of the purpose, gift-giving is a great way to spread a positive image of your company. When those gifts have your logo on them, you get twice the benefit.
In other words, you get all the types of exposure listed above with the added PR of giving a gift. It's a win-win.
Picking the Right Promotional Items for Your Next Event
As the list above clearly shows, there are many benefits to be had from handing out branded items at your next trade show or another event. But it's all dependent on execution.
To get the strongest possible ROI, you need to choose branded products that are useful and unique. For extra points, look for items that speak to a specific interest your customers share.
To start working toward a more successful future, shop for promotional products and gather ideas on our online store.
9 Ways Promotional Items Boost Your Business's Events
A trade show is a blessing and a curse. They're opportunities to make countless contacts with potential customers, vendors, and collaborators in a short amount of time. But if you don't handle them right, they can be an enormous waste of resources.
So how do you maximize your ROI at your next event? Two words: promotional items. But you can't just slap your logo on any random product and call it a day. The right branded products can benefit your business in many ways and here are just a few:
Ways Promotional Items Can Make Your Next Event More Successful
You might already know that branded products have a low cost per impression - just 0.7 cents per impression according to the Advertising Specialty Institute. But how much value do you get from that investment? It comes in many forms:
#1 - Building Brand Exposure
Every marketer out there has a theory about the number of exposures a customer needs to have before they're moved to action. Whatever that magical number is, the exposures add up every time a customer uses your product.
This brings up an important point - buy promotional items your customers will actually use.
#2 - Spreading Smiles
Everyone likes to get freebies. It makes your customers feel appreciated, which is great at a trade show when they're feeling bombarded with sales pitches.
It's a little subtle, but by giving customers a small gift, you boost their opinion of you (consciously or subconsciously) which can lead to more sales.
#3 - Setting You Apart
Everyone who's ever been to a trade show knows the mountain of papers every attendee walks away with at the end of the week. If there are a conservative 50 exhibitors and each one hands out four or five pieces of literature, that adds up to one giant mound that gets thrown into the trash.
Promotional items, on the other hand, stand out... literally. They're less likely to get tossed into the trash, especially if they're useful. According to the Promotional Products Association International, 81% of customers keep branded products for over a year.
#4 - Appealing to Special Interests
One of the fastest ways to gain your potential customers' favor is to show them that you understand them. People want to buy from companies who "get them," and specialized promotional items can do the trick.
Creative branded products like electric coffee makers, mini speakers, and screen cleaners can appeal to a common interest among your clientele. Think about your business and your potential customers, and contemplate what makes them unique.
#5 - Creating Secondhand Exposure
If you're handing out promotional items that people will actually use, the exposure will go far beyond the people who receive them.
For instance, promotional apparel the customer wears, creates brand exposure to every person who comes into contact with them.
Here's a tip: if your apparel design has an intriguing design, people will ask about it. Suddenly your customer is turned into a walking billboard.
This "secondhand" exposure applies to much more than just apparel, but it's yet another reason to choose branded products that are genuinely useful instead of just novelties.
#6 - Placing Subtle Reminders
Part of the strategy in advertising is simply being in the right place at the right time. Ever started feeling hungry, then saw an ad for a burger place and instantly knew what you were having for dinner? That same principle can apply to most industries.
When you hand out branded products, they'll serve as subtle reminders every time your customer uses them. The next time they pick up your pen and remember they need to buy a new couch or hire a roofer, guess who they'll call?
#7 - Bringing Customers to Your Booth
If you're at a trade show collecting pile after pile of brochures and you hear one of the exhibitors is handing out tote bags, where are you heading next?
Customers aren't above making a special stop for some interesting, unique, or useful swag. And in the middle of a crowded trade show, you need all the help you can get to bring customers to your booth.
As an added bonus, this can help your booth stay busy during the later hours of the show when the crowd lightens up. Attendees who visited you earlier will be walking around with your promotional items, intentionally or unintentionally spreading the word.
#8 - Starting Conversations
Once that traffic comes into your booth, the right branded handouts can be perfect conversation-starters. Consider an item that takes a little explanation or has a story behind it.
Another trick is to use these branded items to publicize a new service or product. Customers will see the new name or logo and they'll instinctively ask. And as anyone who's manned a trade show booth knows, a customer who's asking you the questions instead of you spouting off a lecture is a welcome change.
#9 - Making Giveaways and Gifts Work for You
For any business, there are occasions when you want to give away a nice gift. It could be a "thank you" to existing clients. It might be chocolate for an organization or a charity.
Regardless of the purpose, gift-giving is a great way to spread a positive image of your company. When those gifts have your logo on them, you get twice the benefit.
In other words, you get all the types of exposure listed above with the added PR of giving a gift. It's a win-win.
Picking the Right Promotional Items for Your Next Event
As the list above clearly shows, there are many benefits to be had from handing out branded items at your next trade show or another event. But it's all dependent on execution.
To get the strongest possible ROI, you need to choose branded products that are useful and unique. For extra points, look for items that speak to a specific interest your customers share.
To start working toward a more successful future, shop for promotional products and gather ideas on our online store.